Three Palestinian youths have been shot and arrested by undercover Israeli soldiers during a protest near Beit El settlement near Ramallah Wednesday afternoon. According to Palestinian news sources, one of the young men is in a critical condition.
Hundreds of students from Birzeit University arrived by bus near the Beit El settlement in protest of the Israeli occupation.
“We are here to say [Israel] cannot kill innocent children, kill innocent people. That cannot always happen. They need to understand that,” said Najwa, 18, a student at Birzeit University.
Students marched to the DCO checkpoint where they were dispersed by Israeli soldiers, who fired tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets into the crowd. Clashes between the opposing forces escalated, as students and protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktails back towards the Israeli troops.
Panic soon erupted amongst the protestors when undercover Israeli gunmen, who had infiltrated the crowd and dispersed themselves amongst the students, started making arrests.
The group of undercover Israeli police who had disguised themselves in the popular Palestinian protest attire, a scarf or t-shirt covering their face roughly grabbed nearby protestors and attempted to arrest them with the assistance of the Israeli soldiers.
As students fought back in an attempt to prevent the arrests, undercover agents used hand guns to fire live bullets into the crowd.
Three young Palestinian men were arrested after having been shot with live ammunition. Two were shot in the leg and the third in the head from a close distance. He is reported to be in critical condition, with some initial unverified reports claiming he died.

Alongside the arrests, 18 people were left wounded by rubber bullets and four from tear gas inhalation.

This is the latest in a series of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police, as violence and unrest perpetuates across the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Outside of Beit El, protests took place in the Nablus, Bethlehem and Jericho regions. Four Palestinians were reportedly injured with live fire in the Nablus area and one in Bethlehem.

The Red Crescent reported at least 90 Palestinian casualties from clashes in East Jerusalem and various parts of the West Bank on Tuesday.

Many have suggested the latest clashes are indicative of a Third Intifada, but amongst the students and protestors today it was clear the majority felt differently.

“These [protesters] are just children, 15 to 20. Where are the men, the real men? If we have unity we can say this is the start of the intifada, but now? No?” commented Bisan, 21, a Birzeit student taking part in today’s protest near Beit El.